Method of forming elastic and yieldable material in bales of cubic or square shape.



' "0.. 705,134. Patented July 22, .1902;

v F. B. POPE & a. n. was. METIIOD 0F FORMING ELASTIC AND YIELDABLEMATERIAL IN BALES 0F CUBIC 0R SflU-ABE SHAPE.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1899.) (No Nodal.) a Sheets-Sheet awm/wbowFmder-zck B: Pope,

No. 705,134. Patented July 22, I902. I r. a. Pena a. u. mms.

METHOD OF FORMING ELASTIC AND YIELDABLE MATERIAL IN BALES 0F CUBIC 0RSQUARE SHAPE.

(AmSlication filed Oct. 14, 1899.)

WITNESSES: I //v VENTORS I Freder'zbkB Pope gzze sflw A7TORNE) .c. THENonms PETERS cc.. PHoTo-uwu, WASHNGTON, n

No. 705,134. r Patented My 22, I902;

' r. B. POPE & a. n. rams; METHOD or ronmne'ausxlc AND YIELDABLEMATEBIAL m BALES 0F cums onsa'uAm-z SHAPE.

(Application filed. Oct 14, 1899.). 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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NITED STATES FREDERICK B. POPE, OE AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, AND GILES D. MIMS,OF PARKSVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA; SAID MIMS ASSIGNOR TO SAID POPE.

METHOD OF FORMING ELASTIC AND YIELDABLE MATERIAL 1N BALES OF CUBIC 0RSQUARE SHAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,134=, dated. July22, 1902. Application filed October 14,1899- Serial No. 733,589. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK B.Po1 E,-'

residing at Augusta, in the county of Richmond and State of Georgia, andGILES D. MIMS, residing at Parksville, in the county of Edgefield andState of South Carolina, citi- Zens of the United States, have inventeda certain new and useful Method of Forming Elastic and YieldableMaterial in Bales of Rectangular Shape of High Density; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object the making of rectangular bales ofelastic and yieldable material of high density.

Our invention relates to a method of forming a rectangular bale of greatdensity by compressing a mass of flexible and yieldable material undergreat pressure in a curved form, having its top and bottom curved in thesame direction. The resulting bale when removed from the embrace ofthe'compressin g means will assume a shape having flat sides andstraight corners.

The invention relates more particularly to the baling of cotton; but theinvention is not to be understood, however, as being exclusively limitedto the baling of cotton or other fibers, as any form of flexible andyieldable material may be equally well employed, as hay, cloth, paper,or hides} The invention, however, is limited to the method of formingrectangular bales of high density. By high density We mean that degreeof compression which in the art to which the substance of the balerelates is considered as being high in contradistinction to being low.In the art of cotton-baling, for instance, any density over twenty-eightor thirty pounds to the cubicfoot is considered as being high. Balingunder high densities requires different methods and modes of procedurethan baling under low densities.

By our method'we compress the material under great pressure in a curvedform, having its top and bottom curved in the same direction. Theresulting bale is curved-that is, with a convex top and concave bottomand straight parallel sides and ends-until it is secured by ties andreleased from external pressure, when it immediately assumes arectangular form.

If the top and bottomof the bale be formed flat instead of curved, thebale upon being hooped and released from external pressure will assume ashape other than rectangular.

We have observed that all bales that are initially formed rectangularundergreatpressure between flat surfaces always assume a form other thanrectangular when released from external pressure.

We have found that by compressing the mass of material in curved formhaving the top and bottom curved in the same direction the bale will nothave such a tendency to assume a form other than rectangular. Upon thebale being hooped and the external pressure transferred from twoopposite sides to four sides, at least," of the sixthe bale will beconfined at its periphery and the confining strain equally distributedthereover. The peripherally-constrained mass will tend to assume a formwhereby the bulk will increase with'a constant extent of periphery, the0011- cave bottom will become flat, the convex top will assume the sameshape, and the resulting bale will be rectangular.

Allattempts to form a sufficiently rectangular bale of high density ofelastic or yieldable material to satisfy all commercial requirementscompressed by other methods than ours have failed. This we assume to befor the reason that the material has been preliminarily compressed in asquare form, for the bales so made when bound and released from theembrace of the restraining surfaces, will inevitably assume a form otherthan rectangular. Furthermore, While being compressed under highpressure the same tendency to assume a form other than rectangular willassert itself and the'pressure be irregularly distributed against thetwo restraining-surfaces, concentrating toward the centers thereof. Theresult is that that portion of the bale adjacent to the center of thepress in g-suri'aces will be subjected to greater pressure, injuring thematerial and subjecting the forming means to excessive strain.

One way to carry out our method is to in troduce a quantity of materialbetween two surfaces curved in the same direction and press it betweenthem. After a dense bale is made having parallel sides, top, and bottomcurved in the same direction it is hooped or wired and removed from theembrace of the two surfaces. It will then change its form and becomerectangular.

Another way of carrying out our method is to first form the material ina bat or blanket, with the greater portion of the air excludedtherefrom, if not already in this form.

Then lap or fold it back and forth on a conveXly-curved surface. Thesuccessive laps are held in position and subjected to great pressure bya corresponding concave surface, the pressure being applied as the lapsare laid or afterward to the entire mass, or both while being laid andafterward. In order to permit of the lapping or folding of the bat, oneof the surfaces may be provided with a slit or slot extending all thewidth thereof, and it may be arranged to oscillate across the face ofthe other surface. The bat or blanket is drawn through the slot andlapped or folded betweenthe two curved surfaces, the latter separatingas the mass of material accumulates. Upon a sufficient amount ofmaterial being introduced the bale is secured by ties or bands or by'anenvelop while under the pressure of the two opposing surfaces. Thelatter are then separated sufficiently, when the bale will immediatelyassume a rectangular form, the bottom dropping to a plane and the topconforming thereto. This will form a bale of greater bulk, andconsequently of less density, than when it is embraced between theopposing surfaces, and its total surface will be greater, but itsperiphery, confined by the ties, will be no greater. In carrying out ourmethod in this manner the following laps of compressed material being incontact with the concave resisting surface, which also oscillates, willpress substantially equally thereon. There will be no resultingconcentration of pressure to injure the material and cause unnecessaryfriction.

The above-described means are but two ways of carrying out our method toa practicalconclusion, as others may suggest themselves to those skilledin the art.

' In order to better understand the nature of our invention, attentionis called to the accompanying drawings, showing means whereby our methodmay be carried out, and also showing the usual means, of which ours isan improvement.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatica'l view showing the bale, highly compressed,embraced between two curved surfaces. Fig. 2 is a similar view of abound bale, the curved surfaces being separated. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of a lapped bale embraced between two curved surfaces. Fig. 4 is asimilar view of a bale hooped or tied and removed from the embrace ofthe curved surfaces; and Figs. 5, 6,

faces, showing how the bale is covered and hooped.

In all the views like parts are designated by identical letters ofreference.

As shown in Fig. 1, the requisite mass of material is embraced andcompressed between the upper and lower surfaces a and b. The elasticmass being under greatpressure, it will conform to the concave shape ofthe surface a at 0. At (1 the bottom of the bale will become concave toconform to the surface I). The bale between the curved surfaces beingtied or constrained at its periphery in the manner about to be describedand the compressing-surfaces separated will assume the shape indicatedin Fig. 2, the top dropping to a fiat form and the bottom conformingthereto, making a perfect rectangle and a form of greater bulk withgreater surface than the shape shown in Fig. 1.

The bale shown in Figs. 3 and i may be made by taking a blanket ofcotton or a quantity of cloth Z and lapping it in curved form over theconvex lower surface 19 until the requisite amount is in position.Pressure may then be applied upon the surface a until the requisitedensity is secured. (See Fig. 3.) Ties m may be applied through theslots g, formed in both surfaces, and tightened in the usual manner, andupon thesurfaces being separated the bale will become rectangular, asshown in Fig. 4.

Another way of carrying out our process to form a lapped bale is toenlarge the concave upper surface a, as is shown in Figs. 5to 8, andprovide a slot h in the center thereof, through which the bat may pass.The upper surface may be oscillated over the lower surface,drawing inand folding the laps back and forth in curved form over the surface I)untila sufficient amount of material has accumulated to form a bale.Pressure may be then applied to the surfaces, or their separation may beresisted during the folding operation, or the two compressing actionsmay be combined. Upon the bale reaching a sufficient size it may bewired or bound in any manner, one way being shown in Figs. 5 to 8,inclusive. These figures show means for bindingalapped bale. As is shownin Fig. 5, the suitable ties are placed upon the lower surface h beforethe bat is laid. After the bale is completed the uppercompressing-surface a is moved to one side and one end of ties isintroduced from underneath through the slot h and deposited within thehopper t and all slack removed from the portion j. The upper surface isthen moved to the position shown in Fig. 7, which will cover the top ofthe bale with the ties. The end of the ties is returned through the slotand secured to the other end by means of any suitable tool, as thatshown at 70.

Any other means may be employed for car rying out our method, whichconsists, broadly, in baling elastic and yieldable material inrectangular bales of high density by compressing it under great pressurein a curved form having a top and bottom curved in the same direction.

Before claiming our invention we wish to define our meaning of the termrectangw.

lar. By such term We do not Wish to con vey the meaning that a bale madeby our process is mathematically rectangular, but that it sufficientlyapproaches the rectangular form to satisfy all commercial purposes andneeds.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of ourinvention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of compressing elastic and yieldable material inrectangular bales of high density,which consists in compressing thematerial under great pressure in a curved form having the top and bottomboth curved in the same direction.

2. The method of compressing elastic and yieldable material inrectangular bales of high density,which consists in compressing thematerial under great pressure in a curved form having the top and bottomboth curved in the same direction, and in tying or binding the baleWhile under pressure.

3. The method of compressing elastic and yieldable material inrectangular bales of high density,which consists in compressing thematerial in a bat orblanket, lapped under great pressure, in a curvedform having the top and bottom both curved in. the same direction.

4. The method of compressing elastic and yieldable material inrectangular bales of high density,which consists in compressing thematerial in a bat or blanket, lapped under great pressure, in a curvedform having the top and bottom both curved in the same direction, and intying or binding the bale While under pressure.

This specification signed and witnessed this 12th day of October, 1899.

FREDERICK B. POPE. GILES D. MIMS.

Witnesses:

PORTER FLEMING, L. S. DAVIS.

